Beyoncé endorses Kamala Harris for president at Houston rally

Queen Bey has returned the favor.

Almost seven months after Vice President Kamala Harris cheered on Beyoncé’s newly released  album, “Cowboy Carter,” saying she had “redefined a genre and reclaimed country music’s Black roots,” the global superstar said it was time for “America to sing a new song” and elect Harris.

On Friday, Beyoncé, who was joined by singer and actress Kelly Rowland, declared her support for Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, at a rally focused on abortion rights in her hometown of Houston. Texas has some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country.

“We are at the precipice of an incredible shift,” she said. “Your vote is one of the most valuable tools, and we need you.”

“Our moment is right now. It’s time for America to sing a new song,” the Beyoncé added. “A song that began 248 year ago.”

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The pop star said she was not there as a celebrity or a politician.

“I’m here as a mother who cares deeply about the world, my children and all of our children,” she said. “A world where we have the freedom to control our bodies.”

And with that, the K-Hive and Beyhive are now united, aka the online community supporting Harris and the pop star’s fan base, respectively.

Harris has long been a fan of Beyoncé, as the Beyhive and rallygoers surely know. Harris attended her concert as a sitting vice president and makes her entrance at rallies to “Freedom,” the pop star’s song released in 2016.

When Beyoncé released her album earlier this year, she wrote in an Instagram post that it was “born out of an experience” years ago where “she did not feel welcomed.”

Fans say it was a reference to her 2016 appearance at the Country Music Association (CMA) Awards and the country music industry’s reaction to it.

“The criticisms I faced when I first entered this genre forced me to propel past the limitations that were put on me,” she wrote. “This ain’t a Country album. This is a ‘Beyoncé’ album.”

The Beyoncé effect:A look at the singer’s top political moments

Harris, the country’s first female vice president, who is of Indian and Black heritage, cheered that sentiment.

“Thank you for reminding us to never feel confined to other people’s perspective of what our lane is,” she wrote on X. “You have redefined a genre and reclaimed country music’s Black roots. Your music continues to inspire us all.”

This is the second high-profile pop star endorsement Harris has received since September, when Taylor Swift threw her support behind the candidate.

A poll released Friday by the New York Times and Siena College shows Harris and former President Donald Trump in a tied popular vote — 48% to 48% — heading into Election Day. Time will tell if Beyoncé’s endorsement helped move voters “to the left.”

Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy is a White House Correspondent for USA TODAY. You can follow her on X @SwapnaVenugopal.